Famous Deaths on September 15

• 9 Publius Quinctilius Varus, Roman viceroy of Syria, suicide at 59
• 668 Constans II, Emperor of Byzantium (641-668), known as “the Bearded”, assassinated in his bath at 37 (some sources cite July 15) [1]
• 866 Robert the Strong, Margrave of Neustria

• 921 Ludmilla, wife of 1st christian Bohemian king Borijov I/saint, dies
• 928 Louis III, the Blind Proveneaals king of Lombardije/Germany, dies at 48
• 1231 Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (1183-1231), founded city of Landshut, murdered at 57
• 1352 Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk and religious leader (b. 1273)
• 1500 John Morton, English Archbishop of Canterbury (1486-1500) (b. c. 1420)
• 1525 Jan de Bakker [Johannes Pistorius], Roman Catholic priest who was the first preacher in Northern Netherlands to be put to death as a direct result of his Protestant beliefs, burned at the stake at 26
• 1559 Isabella Jagiełło, Queen consort and regent of Hungary, dies of a long illness at 40
• 1596 Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (b. 1535 or 1540)
• 1598 Hidejoshi [Hijoshi], Japanese general strategist and kampaku, dies
• 1613 Thomas Overbury, English poet (A Wife) and essayist, dies at 32
• 1643 Richard Boyle, Irish politician, 1st Earl of Cork, dies at 76
• 1649 John Floyd, English Jesuit preacher (b. 1572)
• 1654 Cornelis Bicker, Dutch merchant, mayor of Amsterdam, dies at 61

• 1700 André Le Nôtre, French landscape architect (gardens of the Palace of Versailles) and principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France, dies at 87 [1]
• 1701 Edmé Boursault, French writer (b. 1638)
• 1707 George Stepney, English poet and diplomat (b. 1663)
• 1747 Johann Gotthilf Ziegler, German baroque composer and organist, dies at 59
• 1750 Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German-American composer (son of Johann Pachelbel), one of the first European composers to emigrate to America, dies at 59
• 1794 Abraham Clark, American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, dies at 68
• 1803 Gian Francesco Albani, Italian Catholic cardinal, dies at 83

• 1835 Sarah Knox Taylor, wife of Jefferson Davis, dies from yellow fever (or malaria) at 21
• 1840 Franz Pecháček, Austrian-German composer, dies at 47
• 1841 Alessandro Rolla, Italian violin and viola player and composer, teacher of Niccolò Paganini, dies at 84
• 1842 Francisco Morazán, 2nd President of The Federal Republic of Central America, dies at 50
• 1842 Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer, dies at 70

• 1864 John Hanning Speke, British explorer, the first European to reach Lake Victoria in east Africa, dies at 37
• 1874 Benjamin Robbins Curtis, American attorney and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at 64
• 1875 Louise Farrenc (née Dumont), French pianist, composer and only female professor at the Paris Conservatory during the 19th century, dies at 71
• 1880 William Hauser, American minister and composer, dies at 67
• 1883 Joseph Plateau, Belgian physicist (Plateau’s Law), dies at 81
• 1885 Juliusz Zarębski, Polish pianist, composer, and pedagogue, dies of tuberculosis at 31
• 1885 Jumbo, P. T. Barnum’s circus elephant, dies after being hit by a train
• 1893 Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company; Nottingham Waterworks Company), dies at 86
• 1895 Jan Kleczyński Sr., Polish pianist and composer, dies at 58
• 1896 Joseph Robert Davis, American aide-de-camp and nephew to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, dies at 71

• 1916 Isidore Legouix, French composer, dies at 82
• 1920 Raimundo Madrazo y Garreta, Spanish Realistic painter, dies at 79
• 1921 Roman von Ungern-Sternberg ‘the mad Baron’, Baltic-German baron and anti-communist Russian general, executed by the Russian Red Army at 35
• 1923 Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer-songwriter and “father of Egyptian popular music” (Ana Haweet), dies at 31
• 1924 Anthony Johnson Showalter, American gospel composer, dies at 66

• 1925 Leonard Borwick, English concert pianist, dies at 57
• 1927 Herman Gorter, Dutch socialist and poet (May, Tiny Hero’s Poem), dies at 62
• 1930 Milton Sills, American actor (The Sea Hawk), dies from a heart attack at 48
• 1932 Charles H. Gabriel, American gospel composer, dies at 76
• 1934 David Vaughan Thomas, Welsh musician and composer, dies at 61
• 1935 Silas K. Hocking, British novelist and Methodist preacher (Her Benny), dies at 85
• 1937 Clifford Heatherley, English actor (For Love or Money, Cash), dies at 48

• 1940 Dick Ket, Dutch painter and cartoonist, dies at 37
• 1942 Jack Singer, American war reporter, dies aboard USS Wasp
• 1945 André Tardieu, French politician, Prime Minister of France (1929-30, 1932), dies at 68
• 1945 Anton von Webern, Austrian composer, dies at 61 after being shot by an American soldier on patrol
• 1947 Richard Le Gallienne, English writer (had affair with Oscar Wilde, father of actress Eva Le Gallienne), dies at 81
• 1950 Vojtěch Říhovský, Czech composer, dies at 79
• 1951 Jacinto Guerrero, Spanish musician and composer, dies at 56
• 1953 Jacques Thibaud, French violinist, dies at 72
• 1956 Henry Clough-Leiter, American organist, choirmaster, and composer (Pensive Monody; The Christ of the Andes), dies at 82
• 1958 (George) “Snuffy” Stirnweiss, American MLB baseball second baseman, 1943-52, 2X All-Star. AL Batting Title, 3X World Series (New York Yankees and 2 other teams), dies in a train wreck in Bayonne, New Jersey at 39
• 1963 Fred Hillebrand, American actor (Martin Kane, Moon Over Manhattan), dies at 69
• 1964 Robert Dower, South African cricketer (1 Test South Africa v England 1898, scored 0 & 9), dies at 88
• 1965 Steve Brown, American jazz musician, dies at 75
• 1967 Eva McKenzie, American actress (Virtuous Husband), dies at 78
• 1967 Hans Haug, Swiss classical composer, dies at 67
• 1972 Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician and the second President of Iceland (1952-68), dies at 78
• 1972 Geoffrey Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, Archbishop of Canterbury (1945-61), dies at 85
• 1972 Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish pianist, composer – one of “The Turkish Five” (Köçekçe – Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), and pedagogue, dies from a stroke at 66
• 1973 Gustav VI Adolf, King of Sweden (1950-73), dies at 90
• 1973 Victor Jara, Chilean folk singer-songwriter, and political activist, killed by Augusto Pinochet’s military interrogators at 40
• 1978 Robert Cliche, French Canadian politician and judge (b. 1921)
• 1978 Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft builder, dies at 80
• 1979 Caro van Eyck [Gerarda Taytelbaum], Dutch actress (De stille Kracht, Medea), dies at 63
• 1979 Tommy Leonetti [Tomaso Lionetti], American singer (“Free”), songwriter (“My City of Sydney”), and actor (Gomer Pyle, USMC), dies of cancer at 50
• 1980 Bill Evans, American jazz pianist (“Peace Piece”; “Waltz For Debbie”), dies of a bleeding ulcer at 51
• 1981 (Charles) “Chick” Bullock, American jazz and dance band vocalist (Chick Bullock and His Levee Loungers), dies at 82
• 1981 Rafael Mendez, Mexican trumpet virtuoso, dies of a heart attack at 75
• 1981 Sara Haden, American actress (A Family Affair), dies at 83
• 1982 Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, Iran’s former foreign minister, executed in Iran
• 1983 Johnny Hartman, American jazz ballad singer (John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman – “My One And Only Love”), dies of lung cancer at 60
• 1983 LeRoy Prinz, choreographer, dies at 88
• 1983 Prince Far I [Michael Williams], Jamaican reggae deejay, producer and Rastafarian, killed during a robberya t his home at 38-ish
• 1983 Willie Bobo [Correa], American jazz percussionist (“Evil Ways”), dies of cancer at 49
• 1984 Jack Ikin, English cricketer (England opener 1946-55), dies at 66
• 1985 (Charles) “Cootie” Williams, American jazz, jump-blues, and R&B trumpeter (Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1929-40 & 1962-74), dies of kidney problems at 74
• 1986 Virginia Gregg, American radio and screen actress, singer and double bassist, dies of lung cancer at 70
• 1987 Jacoba Tadema Sporry, Dutch author (The Story of Egypt), dies at 75
• 1987 Steven Tuomi, murder victim of Jeffery Dahmer (b. 1963)
• 1989 Harry Cave, New Zealand cricketer (New Zealand captain 1955-56), dies at 66
• 1989 Jan DeGaetani, American contemporary classical concert mezzo-soprano, dies of leukemia at 56
• 1989 Robert Penn Warren, American poet and novelist (All the King’s Men, Pulitzer 1946), dies at 84
• 1990 Valentin Ignatyevich Filatyev, Soviet-Russian ‘lost’ cosmonaut who was dismissed for disciplinary reasons, dies at 60
• 1991 Andre Baruch, Radio/TV announcer dies at 83
• 1991 John Hoyt [Hoysradt], American stage and screen actor (Mercury theatre; Gimme a Break!; Tom, Dick & Mary), and comedian, dies of lung cancer at 85
• 1991 Sulkhan Tsintsadze, Georgian composer, dies at 66
• 1992 Walter B Jones, American politician (Rep-D-NC, 1966-92), dies at 79
• 1993 (Nii Moi) “Speedy” Acquaye, Ghanaian drummer, percussionist and fire-eater (Tubby Hayes; Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames; Ginger Baker’s Airforce), dies of cancer at 62
• 1993 Ethan Allen, American baseball center fielder (inventor Cadaco-Ellis board game All Star Baseball; Yale University), dies at 89
• 1993 Frits Noske, Dutch musicologist (Tie Musikwerk), dies at 72
• 1993 Herman Meyer, Germanist (Deutsche Dichtung), dies at 82
• 1994 (Frank) Haywood Henry, American jazz and session baritone saxophone player, dies at 81
• 1994 Earl George, American composer and pedagogue, dies at 70
• 1994 Mark Stevens, American actor (Big Town, Martin Kane, Private Eye), dies of cancer at 77
• 1994 Michael Joyce, Irish stage manager and theatre director, dies at 48
• 1995 Gunnar Nordahl, Swedish soccer striker (33 caps; AC Milan; Olympic gold 1948), dies at 73
• 1995 Marguerite Fawdry, English museum curator (started Pollocks Toy Museum), dies at 83
• 1995 Michio Watanabe, Japanese politician, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (1991-93, dies at 72
• 1995 Sam McCluskie, Scottish politician and trade unionist (leader of the seamens’ union), dies at 63
• 1996 Brother Eugene Gerard Salois, teacher, dies at 76
• 1996 George Scheuer, Austrian writer and journalist, dies at 80
• 1996 Joan Perry [Elizabeth Rosiland Miller], American film actress, model, and singer (Hands of a Stranger), dies at 85
• 1996 Peter Michael Grayson, British showman, dies at 70
• 2000 Vincent Canby, American movie critic (NY Times), dies at 76
• 2001 Fred de Cordova, American film and TV producer (Tonight Show), dies at 90
• 2003 Garner Ted Armstrong, American television evangelist (The World of Tomorrow), dies of complications of pneumonia at 73
• 2003 Jack Brymer, British classical clarinetist (Royal Philharmonic; BBC Symphony; London Symphony), and teacher, dies at 88
• 2003 Josef Hirsal, Czech novelist (b. 1920)

• 2004 Walter Stewart, Canadian writer and journalist, dies at 73
• 2005 Sidney Luft, American movie director, dies at 89
• 2006 Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and writer, dies at 77
• 2006 Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (b. 1987)
• 2006 Raymond Baxter, British television presenter (b. 1922)
• 2007 Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist, composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor, dies at 79
• 2007 Brett Somers [Audrey Johnston], Canadian-American actress (The Odd Couple – “Blanche Madison”), and TV personality (Match Game), dies of cancer at 83
• 2007 Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (World Rally Championship 1995), dies following a helicopter crash at 39
• 2007 Gordon “Specs” Powell, American jazz and studio drummer and percussionist (Red Norvo; Teddy Wilson; CBS Orchestra, 1943-72), dies of kidney disease at 85
• 2008 Richard Wright, British progressive rock keyboardist, arranger, composer, and occasional vocalist (Pink Floyd – “Time”; “Echoes”; “The Art Of Conversation”), dies of cancer at 65
• 2010 Arrow [Alphonsus Cassell], Montserratian soca singer-songwriter (“Hot, Hot, Hot”), dies of cerebral cancer at 60
• 2010 Guido Turchi, Italian composer (Invettiva), dies at 93
• 2011 Frances Bay, Canadian-American character actress (Twin Peaks – “Mrs. Tremond”), dies of pneumonia at 92
• 2012 George Hurst, British conductor (BBC Northern Orchestra. 1958-68; Bournemouth Sinfonietta. 1968-74), and educator, dies at 86
• 2012 James “Sugar Boy” Crawford, American R&B singer, pianist, and songwriter (“Jock-A-Mo” aka “Iko Iko”), dies at 77
• 2013 Frances Bairstow, American labor relations arbitrator, dies at 93
• 2013 Jackie Lomax, British singer-songwriter (Is This What You Want?; Sour Milk Sea)), dies at 69
• 2014 Nicholas Romanov, French-born pretender to the Russian throne, dies at 91
• 2016 Rose Mofford, American politician, 1st female Governor of Arizona (1988-1991), dies at 94

• 2018 Dudley Sutton, British stage and screen actor (Leather Boys; Brimstone & Treacle; Lovejoy – “Tinker Dill”), dies of cancer at 85
• 2018 Jeff Lowe, American mountain climber (co-founder Lowe Alpine), dies of pneumonia at 67
• 2019 Leah Bracknell, British actress (Zoe Tate in “Emmerdale”), dies of cancer at 55
• 2019 Mike Stefanik, American auto racer (9 NASCAR Modified Championships), dies in a plane crash at 61
• 2019 Phyllis Newman, American Tony Award-winning actress (Subways Are for Sleeping: Coming of Age), and singer, dies of lung disease at 86
• 2019 Ric Ocasek [Otcasek], American rock singer-songwriter (The Cars – “Best Friend’s Girl”; “Shake It Up”; “You Are The Girl”), found dead at 75
• 2020 Caroline Kaart (neé Raitt), Scottish-Dutch alto singer, TV and radio presenter, dies at 88
• 2020 Jan Krenz, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 94 [1]
• 2020 Moussa Traoré, Mali soldier, politician and dictator, President of Mali (1968-91), dies at 83
• 2020 Paul Mefano, French composer, conductor (Ensemble 2e2m), educator, and new music advocate, dies at 83
• 2020 Sadashiv Patil, Indian cricket fast bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Maharashtra), dies at 86
• 2020 Wang Zhiliang, Chinese table tennis player and coach (World Table Tennis C’ships gold, doubles 1963), dies from a stroke at 79
• 2021 Lou Angotti, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins), dies at 83
• 2021 Norman Bailey, British operatic bass-baritone (Flying Dutchman), dies at 88
• 2022 Eddie Butler, Welsh rugby union #8 (16 caps; Cambridge University RFC, Pontypool RFC), journalist (The Observer Sport, The Guardian) and broadcaster (BBC), dies at 65
• 2022 John Stearns, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1977, 79, 80, 82; New York Mets), dies from prostate cancer at 71
• 2022 Martin Sinnatt, British army Major-General (Korean War), and administrator (Secretary and CEO of the Kennel Club, 1984-93), dies at 94
• 2023 Burhan Sargun, Turkish soccer forward (8 caps, 7 goals; Fenerbahçe SK), dies at 94

• 2024 Gheorghe Mulțescu, Romanian soccer midfielder (16 caps; Jiul Petroșani 239 games) and manager (Dinamo București, Samsunspor), dies at 72
• 2024 Tito Jackson, American singer (Jackson 5 – “ABC”; “Never Can Say Goodbye”), dies of a heart attack at 70

September 15 Highlights